Town Hall Aims To Improve Special Education in Fresno Unified

Improving special education at Fresno Unified is the goal of a Fresno Teachers Association’s town hall Feb. 20.

The discussion will start at 4:30 p.m. inside Hoover High School’s library.

Those interested in attending the town hall can register here.

Union: Teachers Voices Should Be Heard

“Special Education teachers are the experts on how to address the needs of their classroom,” FTA President Manuel Bonilla said. “We are trying to leverage their knowledge and experience to create solutions that address issues and help meet the needs of students and educators.”

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Fixing a Broken SPED Program

Critics say the district has failed to adequately educate and provide an environment of inclusion for special education students. Parents of special needs students have filed lawsuits against the district.

In response to longstanding complaints about the quality of special-ed programs, Superintendent Bob Nelson requested a review of Fresno Unified’s special education program by the Council of the Great City Schools. The group issued its report last summer.

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The report showed that students not only lagged many of their peers in California and across the nation, but they were performing worse on the National Assessment of Educational Progress than Fresno Unified students years before.

Although the FTA designed the town hall as a one-time event, Bonilla said he is open to an ongoing dialogue to help address special education issues.

“Everyone is invited to share their experiences, their concerns, and the issues that need to be addressed to improve SPED in Fresno Unified,” FTA said in a Facebook post. “More importantly, we will also use this time to develop solutions to help address those concerns.”

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